Caryl Churchill’s Cloud 9 opens on a strict and severe Victorian family looking out from a huge picture frame as though posing for a photograph. All black and white costumes. A Union Jack hangs limply from a pole, adding the only bit of colour. The black servant stands with his back to the flag. The master of the house wears a pith helmet. This is a jungle. This is the British colonies in the 1800s, writes Michael Holland.
Husband Clive believes he is in charge of all that he can see, but we soon realise that he is not. The natives are restless. Clive has his amorous advances upon Mrs Saunders, a neighbour, rebuffed; wife Betty fends off similar attention from Ellen, the nurse maid, Edward, the son, likes dollies and ladies’ jewellery and the visiting family friend Harry Bagley, who seemingly has had his wicked way with all of them.
This arrangement resembles a ménage à cinque of sorts; Joshua, the butler, astutely cultivates favour with the patriarch, Clive, whilst subtly intimidating the remaining household members, knowing he is secure in his position. Joshua observes everything; consequently, he holds them all in contempt.
Churchill is highlighting how 19th century society had the same problems to deal with as us now: failing marriages, affairs, sexuality, and racism. Sometimes it felt like she was mocking the middle classes, and the audience were laughing at themselves. It was when the language became very earthy that the laughter lessened, as if, yes, we are like that, but we don’t talk like that. Which, in itself, is hilarious.
After an explosive end to the first half, it reopens 200 years on in the ruins of what went before, which followed on from Clive declaring ‘Rome has fallen’ when he saw his son playing with a doll.
We now see the protagonists in the 1970s, with the same issues to deal with. Homosexuality is more open, black people are free, marriages can end in a world where divorce is acceptable. The comedy came with the modern man attempting to show his liberal, feminist side, and his support for Women’s Liberation, while secretly craving a patriarchal world. Martin thinks he only has to keep Vicky happy with regular orgasms.
After seeing some of the cast playing a character, it was not easy to make the leap of seeing them being a little older in another era. Even more difficult were those that were now a different gender!
But any difficulty eventually settled down and we could watch them try to sort out the problems from a 20th century standpoint.
Written in 1979 from a series of workshops with the cast, and interviews with various people, Cloud 9 is not always an easy watch. There is confusion with not knowing who is actually who. Plus there are some scenes that would see the predators sharing a cell with Russell Brand for ten and a half years for their non-consensual assaults, but mainly they were played out through comedy; slapstick, even, and we laughed. So, in that respect we are not just comparing 1970s society with the Victorian Age, but likening our present times with those fifty years ago.
And that is a good reason to go along and see this revival.
Lyttelton Theatre, National Theatre, South Bank, London, SE1 9PX until 13th January 2027.
Booking and full details: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/cloud-9/
